Author: Ruth Livingstone

This year I’ve written three guest blogs, and contributed a small section to a fourth one. I thought it would be useful to reflect on the process and consider what value, if any, came from writing these pieces. The posts were all based on my coastal walking adventures, but covered a number of different topics:

I discovered, almost by accident, that I am on the shortlist for an award…

I notice that the winners for of the 2015 and 2016 non-fiction awards were both books about the coast. For that reason, and because the standard seems very high, I don’t expect to win. But it’s wonderful to be shortlisted.

Here is what they say about my book:

Walking the English Coast: A Beginner’s Guide
Ruth Livingstone
A book written by a GP who decided to follow her own advice about fitness and embarked on the ambitious project of walking all 5,500 miles of the British Coast. Written in a deceptively straightforward style, it offers practical advice that you feel you ought to know, but actually don’t, from what shoes to wear to how to deal with cows. It’s the kind of book you glance at, intending to pick out a few sections, then can’t put down.

It’s been a dry period for my writing.

I’ve entered several short stories into competitions with no luck and continued my fruitless quest for agents for my two novels, again with no luck…

It’s been a long time since I submitted my book and, to be honest, I thought it had been rejected. What a great way to start the week! And it’s funny what some encouragement will do… it spurred me on to find a developmental editor for my sci-fi novel.

Novels completed

In August 2013, I signed up for Misha’s 5 year project. My goal was to finish writing a novel and to get it published. Since then, I’ve written and published a number of non-fiction pieces, and I’ve actually completed two novels:

The Reluctant Scribe: a historical novel set in the Tang Dynasty, 6th century, China, following the fortunes of a young boy who dreams of becoming a warrior.

The Orbital Contract: a YA sci-fi novel, set in a futuristic world and full of spaceships and danger.